A Potentiometric Flow Biosensor Based on Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria for the Detection of Toxicity in Water

A flow biosensor for the detection of toxicity in water using the ammonia-oxidizing bacterium (AOB) Nitrosomonas europaea as a bioreceptor and a polymeric membrane ammonium-selective electrode as a transducer is described. The system is based on the inhibition effects of toxicants on the activity of AOB, which can be evaluated by measuring the ammonium consumption rates with the ammonium-selective membrane electrode. The AOB cells are immobilized on polyethersulfone membranes packed in a holder, while the membrane electrode is placed downstream in the flow cell. Two specific inhibitors of the ammonia oxidation—allylthiourea and thioacetamide—have been tested. The IC50 values defined as the concentration of an inhibitor causing a 50% reduction in the ammonia oxidation activity have been measured as 0.17 μM and 0.46 μM for allylthiourea and thioacetamide, respectively. The proposed sensor offers advantages of simplicity, speed and high sensitivity for measuring toxicity in water.

[1]  Rongning Liang,et al.  Trace-level potentiometric detection in the presence of a high electrolyte background. , 2012, Analytical Chemistry.

[2]  Robert S. Marks,et al.  Whole-cell aquatic biosensors , 2011, Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry.

[3]  Nicole Jaffrezic-Renault,et al.  Cell-based electrochemical biosensors for water quality assessment , 2011, Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry.

[4]  R. Weld,et al.  Development and applications of whole cell biosensors for ecotoxicity testing , 2011, Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry.

[5]  C. Gunsch,et al.  Effects of selected pharmaceutically active compounds on the ammonia oxidizing bacterium Nitrosomonas europaea. , 2011, Chemosphere.

[6]  L. Semprini,et al.  Linking NE1545 gene expression with cell volume changes in Nitrosomonas europaea cells exposed to aromatic hydrocarbons. , 2011, Chemosphere.

[7]  B. Gvakharia,et al.  Nitrification and degradation of halogenated hydrocarbons—a tenuous balance for ammonia-oxidizing bacteria , 2010, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[8]  B. Pejcic,et al.  Ion-Selective Electrode Potentiometry in Environmental Analysis , 2007 .

[9]  D. Jahng,et al.  A rapid and simple respirometric biosensor with immobilized cells of Nitrosomonas europaea for detecting inhibitors of ammonia oxidation. , 2005, Biosensors & bioelectronics.

[10]  Rui Ribeiro,et al.  An in situ bioassay for freshwater environments with the microalga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata. , 2004, Ecotoxicology and environmental safety.

[11]  S. Belkin.  Microbial whole-cell sensing systems of environmental pollutants. , 2003, Current opinion in microbiology.

[12]  V. Utgikar,et al.  Quantification of toxic and inhibitory impact of copper and zinc on mixed cultures of sulfate-reducing bacteria. , 2003, Biotechnology and bioengineering.

[13]  J. Jansen,et al.  Evaluation of nitrification-inhibition measurements. , 2001, Water science and technology : a journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research.

[14]  Qin,et al.  Improved detection limits and unbiased selectivity coefficients obtained by using ion-exchange resins in the inner reference solution of ion-selective polymeric membrane electrodes , 2000, Analytical chemistry.

[15]  S. Ayyappan,et al.  Fish bioassays for evaluation of raw and bioremediated dairy effluent , 2000 .

[16]  W. Qin,et al.  Plant tissue-based chemiluminescence flow biosensor for oxalate , 1999 .

[17]  A. König,et al.  A microbial sensor for detecting inhibitors of nitrification in wastewater. , 1998, Biosensors & bioelectronics.

[18]  T. Iizumi,et al.  A Bioluminescence Assay Using Nitrosomonas europaeafor Rapid and Sensitive Detection of Nitrification Inhibitors , 1998, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[19]  D. Arp,et al.  Loss of Ammonia Monooxygenase Activity in Nitrosomonas europaea upon Exposure to Nitrite , 1998, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[20]  W. Verstraete,et al.  Sensors to monitor biological nitrogen removal and activated sludge settling , 1998 .

[21]  Krist V. Gernaey,et al.  Fast and sensitive acute toxicity detection with an enrichment nitrifying culture , 1997 .

[22]  I. Tothill,et al.  Developments in bioassay methods for toxicity testing in water treatment , 1996 .

[23]  H. S. Wolff,et al.  iRun: Horizontal and Vertical Shape of a Region-Based Graph Compression , 2022, Sensors.